Arranged

Chapter 1 - Part 1

Arranged marriage in the twenty-first century.

Hayley's friends had thought she was crazy, and they'd tried to talk her out of it.

"You have the looks. You're an heiress. You could have whoever you want, Hayley," her best friend, Leanne, had told her over and over. "You're only twenty-three. You have time to date around first."

But Hayley didn't see the point of waiting or dating anyone else.

Hayley Espel had known the day would come. She had known Julian Nicholson since they were children. From as long as she could remember, her mother had told her that she and Julian would get married someday.

Julian's family owned twenty percent of Espel and Nicholson Holdings, while Hayley and her father held thirty-one percent of the shares. Their parents wanted control of the company to stay within the family, so Hayley grew up with the knowledge that she would be marrying Julian when the time was right.

The Nicholsons and Espels used to be so close they spent many of their vacations and special holidays together. Then Mrs. Nicholson passed, and everything changed.

Their families cut all ties beyond dealings of the company.

She wasn't sure what happened. Her parents had never spoken about it, and they'd always shot her down when she tried to ask. In time, she learned to leave the topic alone.

Despite whatever had happened to separate the families, both sides never wavered on the arranged marriage. "You're meant for each other," her mother had always told her.

Though Hayley hadn't seen Julian in seventeen years, she'd read every article about him. She didn't always appreciate the magazine covers—especially those gossip magazines—but she admired the man Julian had grown into.

He had a good eye for investment and built a reputation for turning around the worst of companies. Financial magazines had nothing but praise for him, and leisure magazines were always writing about the adventures he had gone on.

Hayley couldn't help but be proud that she was marrying such an amazing man.

So nine months ago, she'd met Julian at their engagement party where he gave her the three-carat square diamond ring. They spent the night smiling at and making small talk with their guests, then went their separate ways at the end of the night.

She had to admit she'd been rather disappointed that she hadn't been able to spend much time with Julian. But she figured they would have the rest of their lives to do so.

One month ago, she walked down the aisle and said "I do" to the only man she'd ever imagined herself with. Though the marriage was arranged, Hayley was determined to make it work.

After all, they were meant for each other.

But a month had already gone by, and Hayley hadn't made much headway with Julian. They hadn't spent much time together; they didn't even have time to go on a honeymoon since Julian was so busy with work.

Hayley took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she strode toward Julian's office. She probably shouldn't drop by Julian's office without first informing him, but she didn't want to sit around and wait for her husband to have time for her.

No matter how busy he was, he had to stop for lunch, right?

Even if it was just an hour, they could talk. Since they had to spend the rest of their lives together, they really should get to know one another better.

Julian's secretary, Charlene, wasn't at her desk, so Hayley went on ahead. She knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an answer.

Then she skidded to a stop.

She'd thought Charlene was on a lunch break. She didn't expect the secretary to spend her lunch break straddling her husband on the leather couch in his office.

Julian's light brown hair that was longer at the top was still stylishly sleeked back despite his state of undress. His white button-down shirt was pulled out of his pants, the black buttons undone.

So that was why Julian hadn't touched her since the wedding. They slept in the same bed, but he'd always flopped onto the bed and turned away from her. They kept to their own sides, neither crossing the invisible line drawn down the middle of their king-sized bed.

Hayley's fingers twitched, but she forced herself to keep her hands relaxed instead of curling them into fists. It wasn't easy, especially as she thought about how Julian had introduced Charlene to her at their wedding.

He'd invited his mistress to their wedding.

If her heart were made of glass, she was certain she would hear the explosive shattering. Julian had already etched several deep cracks in it over the last month, but she'd told herself to be patient. Things would get better. They had to.

She was so wrong.

"Hayley." Julian set the secretary on the floor and sat up as if Hayley had interrupted a normal conversation.

Hayley didn't have to give Charlene a look over. She already knew the woman was a bombshell. She could even remember the dress Charlene wore to their wedding.

Inhaling deeply through her nose, Hayley turned her face away while Charlene straightened her tight black dress, her head down. Then, without a word, the woman slipped past her and left the office.

"What are you doing here?" Julian's tone was casual, so casual Hayley wondered if she'd imagined the entire scene she'd walked in on.

She swallowed the raging waves of anger and disappointment within her. It would be unseemly to throw a fit here. Though there was no one else in the office, word was bound to spread. "I thought I would surprise you and take you out for lunch." She cracked a small smile. "But I see you're busy."

"I'm not now." He stood and disappeared into the attached bathroom. "But I don't have time for lunch."

Was that frustration in his voice? Was he annoyed with her for interrupting his afternoon delight? Hayley clenched her teeth and swallowed her tears. She hadn't expected Julian to love her immediately. She didn't expect him to feel the same way about her that she did about him.

She knew of his philandering ways; she'd read all about it in the papers and seen the photos online. But she thought all that would stop once they were married. She thought he would at least respect her as a wife. She thought that with time, he would come to love her. They were, after all, meant for each other, no?

No. Leanne had been right. Hayley had been crazy to go along with her parents' decision. She'd obeyed them her whole life, but she realized now that the marriage was a huge mistake.

"I'm sorry," Hayley said while she reached for the Polaris pendant dangling from her necklace. She wanted to kick herself. She shouldn't have apologized. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she hadn't been able to overcome her natural reaction before those words slipped out. "I won't disturb you at work again." Hayley despised herself as she spoke those words. How could she be so pathetic? So weak? Why didn't she throw something at him?

Julian didn't bother to reply to her. He didn't even bother to come out of the bathroom.

Hayley turned. She dropped her hand from her pendant and squared her shoulders.

If anyone should be embarrassed, it should be Charlene and Julian. Since Julian clearly wasn't, she didn't see why she had to be.

With another breath through her nose, she strode out with her head high.

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This book is completed and is available on Amazon for $3.99. As this book is enrolled in Amazon's KDP, I can't publish the full book here. If you'd like to read the book for free, I'm allowed to send you a review copy! 

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